Tuesday, April 28, 2009

The basic concept of "sitting down" is an important one when you are first learning Wujifa standing (Zhan Zhuang). So, with this in mind I will do my best to sharing some helpful information on this and a few other helpful bits to explore. On that note hopefully you find something below to help as well with your own personal Qigong training.

The Concept of "Sit Down" in Wujifa Standing...

One of the opportunities we get to develop in Wujifa is intention. Overtime you will develop different ways to "allow" your intention, one is by simply playing with some of the basic concepts of Wujifa practice while you are learning and training. Of course if you train Wujifa you are well aware of the basic ideas of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 1, 2, 3, 4 that are methods to help you discover the feeling of aligning your structure are one of these tools. Although as we know this example is only a method or opportunity for discovering the feeling of alignment. The ideas of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 1, 2, 3, 4 as shared in this practice are simply a method or frame work to notice and discover the feeling of a relaxed structure. The focus is on getting and developing the feeling of connection and developing these. The connection that you'll develop when you have a relaxed aligned structure.

Now I will say I have noticed over the years that it is pretty common for people to make the methods of discovery more important than simply discovering more deeply the feeling of a relaxed connected and aligned body. Also, those who have often discovered this, that is developing your intention, can also be very useful as well not only in Wujifa but in so many areas of your life. Now, I will say at times it can be useful to do something (methods) to help one in discovering these insights. If I were to share one simple thing here, I would say "Be congruent with the intention" with the understanding this is very important for developing/development of neural pathways in ones brain and strengthening the connections both in this brain and in the body.
Learning to notice the "feeling" of your development and how it changes is a good step on the path. Also, learning to simply notice the different feelings is a good habit to develop. Many times a new person might feel that there is so much new information they need to track "all" this different data or in the process they put all their faith in the methods and data, and "methods" becomes their primary focus.
When you are first learning and practicing Wujifa it is true that focusing on certain methods can be productive. Although, as students, we also need to be aware that these are not the primary focus or intention. Actually I will suggest that even this noticing of the feelings in a way is actually another "method" as well, as you progress, and is not a primary focus, as you grow and develop these connected movements.
So, you might ask “What is the primary focus?” I would suggest that simply the metod of being “congruent” with how you connect and move and respond functionally in a unified and productive way can be a good idea that can help you with developing the so called “feeling” of the intention that Wujifa can assist us with as we train.
All that being said I would like to share something that I believe is another good "method" for developing some of the feeling that can be very useful when starting out with basics in Wujifa qigong. Many have heard that sinking the weight so the top is light and the bottom is heavier is one of those feelings one can discover and play with that is helpful both for those who have practiced for a little while and even for the person who is relatively new to Wujifa standing practices (Zhan Zhuang). In saying this, what I will also suggest looking for the feeling of "sitting down" or the process of sitting down.
As we know in basic Wujifa method of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 1, 2, 3, 4 that the discovery of the feeling of the inguinal crease area. What we also call “1” in this paradigm is the inguinal crease. The inguinal crease is suggested as "in" and "2” in this model the sacrum is "allowed" to relax "down" by relaxing the lower back (This is different than tucking and take a while for some to get). So, the common feeling for many people is the feeling "as if" they are starting to sit down on lets say a bar stool.
I would suggest that people should "relax and allow" their practice to seek and develop this for awhile until they build in the feeling, as well as the commonly suggested feeling of light on top and the lower parts heavy. As you might discover this "image" of sitting down can be helpful for people who want to allow the noticing of this feeling while standing. Remember, continue to notice this intention of sit down in a relaxed way (Remember the Wujifa saying "Relaxed is not limp"). Over time if you play as suggested here you may start to notice how much this will contribute to your Wujifa stance practice (Zhan Zhuang).

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Wu (Nothing) Ji (Ultimate) Fa (Principle) - This could mean ultimate primordial principles or totally void of principle. Lian (practice) Gong (skill) - Simply said its meaning is to train for development and competence.

I personally believe when we combine training with Wujifa, is where we seek the deeper connections with the principle of connection become a natural skill. I also like the "concept" of there being no named "methods" to discovery of "Connection." Yet, in reality one has to start somewhere, and so as there may not be a real method or methods, various approaches may make sense as functional means to gaining clarity of a deeper understanding.

When one trains Wujifa we learn connection, connecting... oneness in response, intention, and congruently as in being, we are human. Those of you who like to explore some other thoughts on this, or for those whom might enjoy a little deeper methods on the meaning of these concepts connected with Wujifa I might suggest the following ideas.

In some Daoist practices the individual seeks the result of a very clear and focused mind and as a result, an inner strength that will be said to cause one's mind to be unmovable. Hence the concepts of no emotion, no fear, a calm serenity like those of the ancient ones who have had come before. Like those whom had attained high levels of cultivation. Through their "gong" were able to detach at some level, the mind from all associations and relations of condition, and such is one example of the concept of Wuji consciousness for those individuals.

One of these basic beliefs in those Daoist practice is that the physical manifestation of something we choose to create and or do comes from thought, thought springing forth from desire, and desire springing forth from thought. Simply said, that thought and desire are formed from manifestations that are stirred up by this movement of the mind within the ultimate primordial or this Daoist view of Wuji.

Daoist tend to suggest one constantly is existing within this concept of Wuji, yet it is due to conditions, thoughts, desire/emotions and such that the mind is so busy that this mind is not aware of being there. Does a fish know it is in water? It's actually so much more than understanding that being is not a kind or type of separate thought saying that one is in Wuji. It is a natural state... Although there are other groups, for example some sects of Buddhists who also say that this "being" is not the ultimate or highest state of consciousness attainable.

To simplify you might see it as simply being in a natural state... like how an animal might naturally respond and connect with its environment responding as a whole without thought... I believe that as we train one of the aspects of the mind that is develop the RAS (The RAS is located within the core of the brain near the brain stem. Visit en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Reticular_activating_system if you want to dive into these mechanics deeper) and in doing so we can discover that we do not need to think about what we have connected with, we can just respond naturally. How deeply one can allow these types of shifts to surface within, are possible, and what is called a deep understanding of skill and gongfu. This could be seen as another view of many so called levels in allowing and developing, and as allowed these shifts can develop in the practice of Wujifa, if practiced as some might say "correctly."

The following is from Wikipedia:Wuji, (無極), in Taoist philosophy, is the primordial state of non-being, a state of Nothingness and boundlessness or that which is without Bounds or Limits. Wuji like Tao, is and lies within all of the universe and in the human anatomy. It is the central definition to what Tao is in chapter one of the Tao Te Ching.

In Xiuzhen, Wuji or Dao is a state of Hunyuan Yiqi (混元一炁) in which Hunyuan is the Chinese equivalent of primordial, Yiqi is the one qi the original state of qi, together Hunyuan Yiqi is loosely the primordial qi. The state of Taiji is Xiantian Yiqi (先天一炁), or pre-birth qi. Note the word Qi (炁) differs to blood circulation in qigong.